The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Recent Blog Entries

gavinc's picture
gavinc

I made some English muffins for lunch today. I'm tweaking the recipe and process as I go. These are great without too many enrichments like you see on some sites. I had one for lunch with home-made green tomato pickle, ham, and Smokey cheese.

fitzgen's picture
fitzgen

I’ve recently been making a bunch of rye breads from Stanley Ginsberg’s The Rye Baker. I’ve been loving the technical depth to the recipes, where there are multiple stages of preferment, scalds, soakers, and sometimes you do fun things like combine a preferment with a scald and let it rise a second time before making the final dough. I recently thought to myself, why not bring this back to the world of wheat and apply some of these techniques to a country loaf-style bread? And so this recipe was born.

 

This recipe starts with a levain and an oat porridge. Then, once the levain has risen, we combine it with the porridge for a second rise. My goal in prefermenting the porridge was two-fold: first to add more depth of flavor, and second to really boost the levain and give it lots of leavening power. Did it actually make a difference? I’d have to make this loaf a bunch more times and have more side-by-side comparisons to really say. But I really liked the resulting loaf nevertheless!

 

Totals

  • 60% bread flour (I used KABF)
  • 30% T85 flour (I used cairnspring mills trailblazer)
  • 10% whole wheat (I home-milled some hard red spring wheat berries)
  • 94% water
  • 7% rolled oats
  • 2.5% salt
  • 0.5% sourdough culture
  • 10% of the flour and all the oats are prefermented 

 

Levain

  • 5% whole wheat
  • 5% water
  • 0.5% sourdough culture

 

Combine and let double, about six to eight hours.

 

Porridge

  • 7% rolled oats
  • 14% water

 

Mix in a saucepan, heat over medium high heat stirring constantly. Once it fully gelatinizes and reaches at least 160F, take off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

 

Levain-Porridge

  • Levain
  • Porridge
  • 5% whole wheat
  • 5% water

 

Break up the porridge into little pieces and then combine everything, mixing well. Let rise to 1.75x in size, about four to six hours.

 

Final Dough

  • Levain-porridge
  • 60% bread flour
  • 30% T85 flour
  • 70% water
  • 2.5% salt

 

Mix the salt into the water. Mix the levain-porridge into the salt water. Add in the flours and mix just until no dry flour is left.

 

Rest the dough for 30 minutes.

 

Do three sets of stretch and folds evenly spaced over an hour.

 

Laminate the dough and then fold it back onto itself to build extra strength.

 

Bulk ferment until 1.5x in size, about three hours.

 

Preshape and rest for 20 minutes.

 

Shape and place in a banneton.

 

Cold proof overnight, twelve to eighteen hours.

 

Bake at 440F with steam for 30 minutes and then without steam for 20 to 25 minutes, until beautifully deep golden brown. I used a challenger-style bread pan but you could of course use a Dutch oven or baking stone.

 

Let cool completely before slicing in. I waited till the next day and then refreshed the loaf with a quick rinse under the tap and reheat in the oven. Very good!

 

Benito's picture
Benito

I’m not sure but I think it might have been more than a year ago that I made a 100% whole wheat bread of this sort.  I realized that I hadn’t even used my banneton this year yet so it was really overdue.  Since I am out of practice I decided to keep the same formula as my last loaf more or less but wanted to use my Ankarsrum Assistent to develop the dough.  As with my previous 100% whole grain hearth loaves that were successful, I sifted out the bran with my #40 sieve and then did a scald of the bran.  This was refrigerated overnight.  All the bran was added back to the dough after it was well developed.  The dough was started at a lower hydration and then additional water was added by bassinage.  In the end the hydration was about 90%.

The stiff levain was built and left to ferment overnight at 74ºF.

 

The next morning to the bowl of my Ankarsrum Assistent I added the water and then the levain. The levain was broken down in water and then the sifted flour was added and a short mix on slow speed was done until no dry flour remained.  After 10 mins of rest at about 2-3 speed the dough was kneaded until at least moderate gluten development achieved.  The salt was sprinkled onto the dough and then the hold back water was added gradually until it was fully absorbed.  Next the hydrated bran was gradually added to the dough while the Ankarsrum Assistent continued to knead the dough until the bran was well distributed.  The dough was then flipped out of the bowl of the mixer and a bench letterfold was done.  An aliquot of dough was removed to measure the pH of the dough.  I am aiming for a drop in pH of about 1.0-1.1 for shaping and then another 0.3 at the time of baking.

 

Then at 30 mins intervals coil folds x 4 done

 

Pre-heat oven 500°F with cast iron skillet in the oven and set up for open steam baking in anticipation of pH targeted baking.

30 mins prior to baking, pour 1 L of boiling water into metal loaf pan with Sylvia towel and place on baking steel on the lowest rack of the oven.

Once oven reaches 500ºF turn dough out of banneton, brush excess rice flour off, score and then brush with water.  Transfer to oven.  Pour 250 mL of boiling water into the cast iron skillet on a high shelf, high enough that the dough have fully bloom.  Drop temperature to 450ºF and bake with steam for 25 mins.  Then vent oven and remove all steaming gear and drop temperature to 425ºF.  Bake for another 25-30 mins rotating as needed.

My index of bakes

CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Today's bake: Pane di Altamura

Source: The Italian Baker - Carol Field

Note: Increased hydration from 86.67% to 91.67% due to  fresh milled flour factor of 5%

Discussion: This bread has really expansive oven spring and blooming.  The crust is nice and crisp and the crumb a soft cake like quality.  The crumb tastes of dairy/cheesy and nutty flavors and the crust had notes of vanilla bean.

I recommend it to all who want a fun, easy to make bread that has an interesting visual appeal.

Make again? - Yes

Changes/Recommendations: Increase the TDW/number of loaves baked, slightly increase hydration due to the fresh ground grain.

Ratings

 

 Shaping Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phRWWndQW8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXyowkDduNo   Shaping begins at the 12 min mark.

 

 

Tony

 

 

 

Benito's picture
Benito

I have a new jar of yuzu tea.  So yuzu tea (or citron tea since it is Korean) is a marmalade like jelly made from yuzu that when mixed with boiling water makes a lovely drink.  I decided I wanted to make some sweet rolls and I wanted to have yuzu flavour to it so I would use the yuzu tea as the filling and I have a bottle of yuzu extract that I would use as the liquid for the drizzle/icing. Despite the name of these rolls, they aren’t very sweet.  Other than the sugar used for the stiff sweet levain, there isn’t any sugar added to the dough.  Also, to make these a bit more hearty and healthy, all the flour for the tangzhong is whole wheat.

The dough is my standard formula for sweet roll dough that I have used before.  One change I would make next time is to prepare more of the yuzu filling, perhaps about 25% more and to use more of the flour sprinkled on the filling, again 25% more.

Sweet Yuzu Glaze
Yuzu extract 1 tbsp
½ cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar

 

Make the glaze: Right before serving, top your yuzu rolls with glaze. Mix all of the glaze ingredients together. If you prefer a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar and then add salt to cut the sweetness, if desired. If you’d like it thinner, add more yuzu extract or cream. Drizzle over sweet rolls.

 

Yuzu Filling 

½ cup yuzu tea

1/16 cup granulated sugar

 

18 g flour (sprinkled on the filling after it is spread onto the dough)

Instructions

Levain

Mix the levain ingredients in a jar or pyrex container with space for at least 300% growth. 

Press down with your knuckles or silicone spatula to create a uniform surface and to push out air.

At a temperature of 76ºF, it typically takes up to 10-12 hours for this sweet stiff levain to be at peak.  For my starter I typically see 3-3.5 times increase in size at peak.  The levain will smell sweet with only a mild tang.

 

Tangzhong 

In a sauce pan set on medium heat, stir the milk and flour until blended. Then cook for several minutes until well thickened, stirring regularly with a spoon or heat-resistant spatula. Let cool in the pan or, for faster results, in a new bowl.  Theoretically it should reach 65ºC (149ºF) but I don’t find I need to measure the temperature as the tangzhong gelatinizes at this temperature.  You can prepare this the night before and refrigerate it, ensure that it is covered to prevent it from drying out.

 

If you plan on using a stand mixer to mix this dough, set up a Bain Marie and use your stand mixer’s bowl to prepare the tangzhong.

 

Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk (consider holding back 10 g of milk and adding later if this is the first time you’re making this), egg, tangzhong, salt, sugar and levain.  Mix and then break up the levain into many smaller pieces.  Next add the flours.  I like to use my spatula to mix until there aren’t many dry areas.  Allow the flour to hydrate (fermentolyse) for 20-30 minutes.  Mix on low speed and then medium speed until moderate gluten development this may take 5-10 mins.  You may want to scrape the sides of the bowl during the first 5 minutes of mixing.  Next add room temperature butter one pat at a time.  The dough may come apart, be patient, continue to mix until it comes together before adding in more butter.  Once all the butter has been added and incorporated increase the speed gradually to medium. Mix at medium speed until the gluten is well developed, approximately 10 mins.  You will want to check gluten development by windowpane during this time and stop mixing when you get a good windowpane.  You should be able to pull a good windowpane, not quite as good as a white flour because the bran will interrupt the windowpane somewhat.  Next add the zest of two oranges, that way they do not interfere with the gluten development. Mix until they are well incorporated in the dough.

 

On the counter, shape the dough into a tight ball, cover in the bowl and ferment for 2 - 3 hours at 82ºF.  There may be some rise visible at this stage.

 

Optional cold retard overnight or just 1.5 hours to chill the dough for easier shaping.

 

Prepare your pan by greasing it or line with parchment paper.  

 

This dough is very soft. Act quickly to roll, spread the filling, and cut before the dough warms and softens further. If it begins to soften, place it in the fridge to firm.

Remove your bulk fermentation container from the fridge, lightly flour your work surface in a large rectangle shape, and the top of the dough in the bowl. Then, gently scrape out the dough to the center of your floured rectangle. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 15″ x 15″ square or larger rectangle.

 

Brush melted butter on rolled dough.  Then spread warmed yuzu tea onto the dough, then sprinkle flour on top.  The flour will help absorb any water drawn out of the dough by the sugar in the yuzu tea.

 

Starting at one of the long sides of the rectangle in front of you, begin rolling up the dough as you move across. Be sure to tightly roll the dough by gently tugging on the dough as you roll.

Once finished rolling up the dough, divide it into nine 1 1/2″ pieces using a sharp knife or dental floss (my preference). Transfer the pieces to the prepared baking pan and cover with a large, reusable bag, place in a warm spot.  I use my proofing box set to 82°F.  Final proof may take 3-6 hours, be patient and wait until the dough passes the finger poke test.

 

Be sure to start preheating your oven about 30 minutes before you feel the rolls will be fully proofed. For me, the final warm proof time was about 3 hours at 77°F (25°C).

 

Bake

Preheat your oven, with a rack in the middle, to 400°F (200°C). After the warm proof, uncover your dough and gently press the tops of a few rolls.  The fully proofed cardamom rolls will look very soft. The texture of the dough will be almost like a whipped mousse. Be sure to give them extra time in warm proof if necessary. If the dough needs more time to proof, cover the pan and give the dough another 15 to 30 minutes at a warm temperature and check again.

Once your oven is preheated, remove your pan from its bag, slide it into the oven, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

 

The rolls are finished baking when the tops are well-colored and the internal temperature is around 195°F (90°C). Remove the rolls from the oven and let the rolls cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan.

 

Once fully cooled drizzle the yuzu icing onto the rolls.

 

 

These are best the day they're made, and certainly fresh from the oven, but can be reheated in a warm oven a day or two after.

My index of bakes.

yozzause's picture
yozzause

i have been looking at Elizabeth David's book " English Bread and Yeast Cookery" and quite liked the look of the Tea cakes, i also took the opportunity to try some more Lupin breads so combined the two. The tea cakes are usually about 100g each, mine were 200g the same as the mini test loaves. Only one thing left to do !!!This is a Honey, Lemon, Lupin, Fruit Dough i used my own Honey 1 and a half Myer Lemons peel and juice, an egg and 25% lupin flour.       

 
audieg's picture
audieg

Help guys…

I am failing to to finish baking, my par-baked baguettes. I can’t seem to get the crumb  on the inside to be dry. It’s usually wet and squishy. It’s like it’s not yet been cooked enough but when I par-bake the baguettes, I get the internal temperature to be around 98 to 99°C, so it is already cooked. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. Please anyone out there help me. 
I cannot seem to understand where I’m going wrong.

Rafe's picture
Rafe

 

  • Selecting rather than typing. preload drop-downs for recipes, bakers and bakeware. A-Z sorting of additional entries beyond preloads.

Creating dropdowns for selections since the “pick a row, any row” was sorted, was the simplest step, considering the recipe and baker names existed. Although it restricted the choice when it came to using alternative bakeware. A combination of preloaded and add & update was a better arrangement.

Shifting the drop-down selection lists to a new tab, combining recipe names, bakers, dry/soaker/wet and bakeware unified the use of volumes for alternative bakeware and adding dry ingredients or wet/dry soaker ingredients to an already portioned recipe. This might have started as a bit overkill, but filling the volume of a lidded pullman with different ingredients was worth the effort.

This didn’t stop the add & update function for bakers or recipes, added in either location, they update and auto-sort alphabetically as planned.  

Bakers Percent Re-Imagined Part 8 - The final part to follow  

Rafe's picture
Rafe

Now onto a not-too-difficult stage.

  • Viewing multiple recipes on one sheet, to add new, update old & compare numerous simultaneously.

Generating a recipe card with all the ingredients listed along with notes, times, rating links and the bunch of percentages generated quite a few rows to work with. Using these as the location for a multitude of recipes was the obvious way to go. 
Excel's grouping limitations didn’t agree and mangled the whole list initially, but another set of formulas, got it sorted.  Which led to a “pick a row, any row” layout. With a couple of simple search functions & active filters, managing, reworking and comparing one recipe with several different outcomes fell into place.

Picture 1 is a condensed view of included ingredients.
Picture 2 is the actual row & columns (part) arrangement

Bakers Percent Re-Imagined Part 7 to follow

Benito's picture
Benito

For the dinner party last night we had one guest who won’t eat cooked vegetables!  What to prepare that he will eat?  Pulled pork sandwiches as the main, along with coleslaw.  For appetizers I served pork, shiitake mushroom and Napa gyoza that I made a while ago and froze.  These are great to have frozen so you can save prep when having a dinner party.  The pulled pork was made using my Instant Pot.

So for the buns I had previously purchased a few nice purple sweet potatoes, then cooked and mashed them, portioning them out into small ziplock bags and put them in the freezer for future use to save time for baking.  

For 8 buns

egg wash: 1 yolk, 1 tbsp milk and a pinch of salt, beaten…

 

Instructions

Levain

Mix the levain ingredients in a jar or pyrex container with space for at least 300% growth. 

Press down with your knuckles or silicone spatula to create a uniform surface and to push out air.

At a temperature of 76ºF, it typically takes up to 10-12 hours for this stiff  sweet levain to be at peak.  For my starter I typically see 3-3.5 times increase in size at peak.  The levain will smell sweet with only a mild tang.

 

Tangzhong 

In a sauce pan set on medium heat, stir the milk and flour until blended. Then cook for several minutes until well thickened, stirring regularly with a spoon or heat-resistant spatula. Let cool in the pan or, for faster results, in a new bowl.  Theoretically it should reach 65ºC (149ºF) but I don’t find I need to measure the temperature as the tangzhong gelatinizes at this temperature.  You can prepare this the night before and refrigerate it, ensure that it is covered to prevent it from drying out.

 

Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk (consider holding back 10 g of milk and adding later if this is the first time you’re making this), egg, tangzhong, salt, sugar and levain.  Mix and then break up the levain into many smaller pieces.  Next add the flour, I like to use my spatula to mix until there aren’t many dry areas.  Allow the flour to hydrate (fermentolyse) for 15 minutes.  Mix on low speed and then medium speed until moderate gluten development this may take 5-10 mins.  You may want to scrape the sides of the bowl during the first 5 minutes of mixing.  Next drizzle in the melted butter a little at a time, or alternatively add soft room temperature butter one pat at a time.  Slow the mixer down to avoid splashing the butter at you. The dough may come apart, be patient, continue to mix until it comes together before drizzling or adding in more butter.  Once all the butter has been added and incorporated increase the speed gradually to medium.  Add the mashed potatoes gradually.  Mix at medium speed until the gluten is well developed, approximately 10 mins.  You will want to check gluten development by windowpane during this time and stop mixing when you get a good windowpane.  You should be able to pull a good windowpane.

On the counter, shape the dough into a tight ball, cover in the bowl and ferment for 2.5-3.5 hours at 82ºF.  There should be some rise visible at this stage.

 

You can next place the dough into the fridge to chill the dough for about 1.5 hours, this makes rolling the dough easier to shape.  Remember, if you do so the final proof will take longer.  Alternatively, you can do a cold retard in the fridge overnight, however, you may find that this increases the tang in your bread.

 

Line a large cookie tray with parchment paper.  Punch the dough down and then divide into 8 equal portions.  Form each into tight boules.  Place on a parchment lined cookie tray.  Cover them and allow them to fully proof about 4-6 hours, they should pass the poke test.

 

After about 30 mins of proofing time, whisk your remaining egg and milk and then brush the small boules.

 

About 30 mins prior to end of final proof preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Immediately prior to baking brush the dough again with the egg and milk mixture.  Top with sesame seeds.

 

Bake the buns uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 190F. Cover if your rolls get brown early in the baking process.

 

 

Remove the buns from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

These buns were so soft with a hint of sweetness and pretty colour from the purple sweet potatoes.  They will stay fresh for quite a while in a sealed plastic bag because of the tangzhong.  For a hardy sandwich or burger the 110 g dough weight per burger was perfect.

My index of bakes.

Pages

Subscribe to Recent Blog Entries